1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage and interconnection systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a holder and interconnection system for standard form factor small computer system interface (SCSI) drives that provides simple installation and removal of disk drives.
2. Description of Related Art
Many present day computer systems are coupled to or include disk drives for storing and retrieving information. In many computer systems, the disk drives are mounted inside the computer case to a chassis. Installing or removing such disk drives requires that the case be partially disassembled to gain access to the disk drive and chassis upon which the disk drive is mounted. The disk drive is then installed or removed by fastening or unfastening mounting screws. These screws are often located in areas that are difficult to reach because movement is constrained by the other components coupled to the chassis. Once mounted, the drive must also be connected to the bus or an input/output (I/O) port, as well as power sources. Typically, this is preformed by connecting the disk drive's outputs and inputs to a bus connector with jumper cables. Thus, the installation, removal and maintenance of a disk drive can be very time consuming and labor intensive.
While many computer systems provide enough room for two or three disk drives, the space in the computer case is commonly occupied by a hard disk drive and floppy disk drives. Thus, there is no room to accommodate a CD-ROM drive. Moreover, it is often advantageous to couple many CD-ROM drives to a system. "External" or stand-alone CD-ROM drives are commonly coupled to the bus of the computer system to overcome this problem. However, there are several problems associated with the use of external disk drives. First, the external disk drives are often stacked near the computer which is awkward. The external disk drives clutter the desktop and are inconvenient. Second, such external disk drives often require a housing to protect the electronic components of the disk drive from being damaged. Even with a housing, external disk drives are often damaged since the drives are not mounted to the computer's case and subjected to more movement. Third, external disk drives must also endure undesirable heat and dust conditions. External disk drives occupy additional space and are very bulky, which is a particular disadvantage if the drive is located on the desktop. Finally, externals disk drives are open and accessible to any user.
Other problems with disk drives and storage systems include the difficulty in connecting the drives to the system or mounting the drives in storage containers. Additionally, most storage containers do not provide an area to store floppy disks or CDs. This is a problem since CDs are often misplaced and removed with authorization. Moreover, most drives and storage systems do not provide any safeguards to prevent the drives or the disks from being removed or misplaced.
Therefore, there is a need for a system for storing and easily interconnecting disk drives without the costs and shortcomings of the prior art.